Flowers and Seedy Places
by FlirtyFlapper
Summary: Hades knew better but even through the glass he was tempted to pick the little flower. And what Hades wants, Hades gets. Modern AU
1. Preface

**Preface**

He knew he shouldn't have gone in. He knew better. She wasn't his type and he would be willing to lay money on the fact that he wasn't hers either. But there was something about the way the sunlight touched the strawberry strands of her hair that made it look like liquid amber and he wanted to brush the stray locks away from her face; the most beautiful face he had ever seen. And he had seen his fair share of faces. Too many to count. They all bled together now, a blur of thick makeup and smiles that never seemed to move any other part of the face.

His feet moved without his permission. Suddenly he was pushing open a glass door which mocked him with a resounding ding. The girl looked over her shoulder quickly, her long hair swinging over the gentle slope of her shoulder with the action, welcoming him as she gave a bright smile that wrinkled her eyes in a genuine way that made his cold heart clench. He felt as if the earth had split beneath him. She seemed to be restocking what he thought to be carnations but he knew little about flowers.

He watched her work. She seemed unhurried and at peace with her task. It was an unusual sight but not unwelcome. People usually rushed around in an attempt to please him. He enjoyed the serenity. The air was clean and fragrant, if not a bit moist. It had been a long time since he had been anywhere this _pure_. He occupied himself with looking around the shop. It was not overly generous in size but every flower had its place and one could move without fear of knocking something over. It was minimalistic and almost quaint. He did not belong.

She did.

Speaking of her; she was walking over to him. She wiped small hands on an apron that was smudged with dirt and green stains. His eyes were drawn to the motion and he noticed that her nails weren't painted. The women he was frequently faced with had talon like nails in a range of unnatural colors. What a strange creature; she continued to interest him. She stood before him now and he was grateful for the proximity. He studied her face. She had a high forehead and full eyebrows that were gently arched, her eyes were large, perhaps a bit too large, her nose was delicate and turned up at the end in a defiant manner, her upper lip had a very slight arch and was a bit fuller than the bottom. He realized those were only things that were noticeable if you were looking for them. Her face was clean and her skin looked smooth and warm, as though the sun had gently kissed the highest points of her delicate face. He wanted to feel her skin as the sun had.

He was shaken from his thoughts when she spoke to him.

"I'm sorry for the wait. Can I help you?"

Her voice was soft and clear. It reminded him of a fountain in an isolated and empty plaza; the cool sound of bubbling water resonating in the quiet air around it. She had a voice meant for stories and lullabies. He stared at her in wonder. Surely a creature so pure could not exist in the same world as a man like himself. "Sir?"

He suppressed a chuckle. Her face had the gentle beginnings of concern. She was perfection. He read the bold black lettering on her silver name tag. _Persephone_. It was strange like her and his tongue had yet to taste it but he knew instantly that he liked it. There was already so much to like about her. The way she dressed for example, a ridiculously shapeless white cotton dress that reached her knees. It seemed to be afraid to cling to her. He wasn't aware that pillow cases would be worn as dresses. It was endearing.

"Yes. Persephone, I need two dozen of those," he said pointing to a bundle of soft pink roses, "and throw in some of those." His finger wagged at the daisies and forget-me-nots. He liked the little blue ones. They were the exact shade of her eyes.

She looked at him strangely for a moment before smiling softly. She wrote out the order on a slip and went to gather the flowers before he stopped her. He would have them delivered. There was no way in hell he was going to carry those around. She took the address and he paid before leaving. He was grateful that Thanatos had recently complained about being under appreciated lately. He had a reason for the flowers now.

_Persephone_.

Oh yes, the little strawberry blonde goddess would be his.

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And there you have it! A little taste of what is to come.

I have seen a lot of different fanart of Persephone and Hades and while I will admit that one of my favorites is the 100 days of night comic (CHECK THAT OUT!) I really like her as the unexpectedly sassy strawberry blonde. Hades description will be in the next chapter as well as more characters which includes an adorable gender-fluid Thanatos!


	2. Flower Delivery and The Helm of Darkness

I'm actually surprised at how many reads this has gotten! But yay! Here is another chapter :)

Read. Rate. Review. Be jolly and enjoy pudding!

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Chapter One:

Hades would never admit that he was waiting in anticipation for the delivery of a bundle of flowers. He sat in his office, tapping his foot and gripping the lush leather of his chair. His fingers went over the silver rivets idly, the bunched up fabric around the cool metal brushing against his fingers as they roamed in aimless circles. His eyes darted to the clock. It would be another 20 minutes before she was even expected. He berated himself for not thinking to arrange for an earlier delivery hour. No, he arranged it perfectly. She would come just before closing. Thanatos would be unable to resist inviting her out, because that is just what Thanatos did.

His head lulled back, his eyes shut and he let out a sigh. There was a soft knock on the door and he didn't need to look up to know that it was his assistant, Thanatos. Thanatos was efficient and nosy and the most fashion forward of his personal. Hades had at first been shocked by some of the outfits that came through the office. There was once a purple alligator bag paired with a corseted black dress with a tulle bottom and the next was blue suede oxford flats and a metallic suit.

"You look tense." Thanatos said in an amused tone.

"I'm always tense. It comes with the job."

Thanatos chuckled before suggesting a break. Hades had to laugh. He couldn't remember ever taking a break. He always had some problem to handle. He was lucky if he got more than 5 hours of sleep. No, he didn't have the luxury of a vacation. He had taken a different route in life than his older brothers: Zeus, the eldest, ran an electrical company and kept his fingers in a multitude of other companies and Poseidon was an extremely successful environmentalist. Zeus frequently took leave to vacation with his wife and Poseidon's life itself seemed to be a vacation. Hades had most definitely taken a different route.

He ran a rather successful business, some would call him a loan shark, others an enthusiast in helping others. Unfortunately, not everyone he helped was keen on paying back their debt. He had to take measures to ensure he was paid what he owed. He was called callous, a demon, the devil. But he saw the world for what it was; a dark pit of treacherous, self servant, animals. He had also tried his hand at a night club which he had never anticipated making it longer than a year or two at best. But the night club, Styx, was still going strong after 7 years. There was a part of him that wanted it to fail. It was a cesspool of bad decisions and unspeakable morally loose behavior.

Hades finally opened and he looked at Thanatos. Today it was another black dress, scalloped below the belted waist and a pair of heels in an unusual shade of blue. Thanatos had the kind of face that was made by angels with its soft lines that were both handsome and beautiful, gentle brows and bright eyes. It had taken Hades a while to get used to Thanatos' gender fluidity. He was unfamiliar with changing gender pronouns so rapidly. Thanatos seemed used to the confusion and was patient with him.

"Your hair is a mess," Hades said blandly before looking back at the clock. 10 minutes. Damn.

Thanatos pulled a compact out of her purse and checked the long blonde strands and sighed. "Whose fault do you think that is?"

Hades quirked a brow. "Are you saying it is my fault?"

"Of course! I have been running around all day for you. Do you realize that I haven't sat down at all today? And in case you didn't know, heels are not fun to do errands in." She grumbled annoyed and huffed. She threw herself unceremoniously into a velvety chair on the opposite side of his desk.

It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Thanatos. He did. He couldn't ask for a better assistant. But damn, he had so many employees to take care of and clients and he was frequently being bombarded with his brothers' problems. He sighed. He would kill for a cup of coffee right now. He needed something warm and bitter to improve his mood. He was about to give a scathing retort to Thanatos when there was another soft knock on his door. He looked up and there she was, _Persephone_. Her hair had been pulled into a messy braid and her cheeks were flushed. He bit back a smile at her presence.

"I'm sorry. I think I'm a bit early." She apologized.

"No, right on time."

His body moved quickly. He stood and took long strides to reach her. She looked up at him, not that she had much of a choice, he was much taller than she. In heels she would reach his chin but in flats the top of her head barely reached his collar. He took the flowers from her slowly, allowing his hands to brush against hers. He saw her eyes follow the movement and he smirked. Luckily, her eyes were lingered on his hands. He stepped out of her space and noticed the deep breath that she took.

He handed the flowers to Thanatos and kissed her cheek. "For you."

Thanatos looked shocked and then gave wry smirk as her eyes drifted to Persephone. "You shouldn't have." Thanatos moved passed him without a glance. She was instantly in front of Persephone, introducing herself and complimenting her on her dress. She dragged her out of the room to put the flowers in a vase. Hades wanted to stop her but it was useless. Once Thanatos' mind had been made up, that was the end.

Hades sagged into his chair. He still had paperwork to finish and calls to make, he had to go over the numbers for Styx, and he needed to call Poseidon about the benefit next month. He loosened his tie and lit a cigarette before flipping through some files. He was just getting off the phone when Thanatos came back in with Persephone. He would have thought that she would be long gone by now.

"Persephone is going to come with us tonight." Thanatos said with an overly pleased smile.

"And where exactly are _we_ going?" He said implying that he had no intention of actually going.

"Styx." Thanatos said with a challenge in her kohl rimmed eyes.

He cursed. She knew he had to go soon and was trying to set things up. He leaned back in his chair. He would not be dragged. He would not be ordered. He most definitely would not be played. He took a long drag of his cigarette. He let the smoke go and snubbed it out.

"I'm afraid I have work to finish but you ladies have good night." He said before looking back to his files. He would ignore them till they went away.

"But Persephone has never been to a club and I was going to pick up Athena on the way. I won't have room in my car." She reasoned.

He looked at them and he felt himself caving. Persephone's large eyes looked anxious, she was biting her bottom lip, and her hands were knotted together. Damn. He glared at Thanatos who was wearing a smirk that was usually saved for his male counterpart. He shoved his chair back and grabbed his leather jacket without a word. The girls parted for him and he wanted to bash his head into the wall. He knew he was being an arse but he couldn't seem to stop or bring himself to apologize. It wasn't in his nature. he could at least try to make amends.

He rushed to the door and help it open. Thanatos smiled as she passed. Persephone looked at him with something akin to wariness and precaution. She had a face meant for wonderment. Then again, he was unlikely to find something her face wasn't meant for. He wondered what she would look like when she cried. He wanted to see silent tears fall from her soft eyes so that he may wipe the salty droplet from her cheek with the rough pad of his finger. He would give anything to touch her cheek. He had never once found a reason to relate to Shakespeare but quite frankly... to be a glove.

He walked Thanatos to her car, a useless 2 seater that was both made for luxury and speed. When she blew kisses at them and drove off he turned back to Persephone who stood with her hands clasped behind her back. She looked at him expectantly. He smirked and walked towards a black Motorcycle. He didn't hear her footsteps on the concrete so he looked over his shoulder at her, his torso twisting slightly.

"You're not afraid are you?" He asked with the quirk of a dark brow.

"Not at all." She quipped. She didn't sound as sure as she was trying to look.

He raised a large hand and twitched a finger, beckoning her closer. _Yes, come closer to your chariot of doom; sweet Persephone, you know not what you tread towards._ Her eyes narrowed a fraction but he saw something in them that made him warm under the collar. She placed her hand in his and he resisted the urge to kiss the delicate appendage. He led her closer to the dark metal beast. Her fingers went out to stroke the leather seat. He turned her and she looked at him curiously. He used his index finger to raise her chin slightly before he placed his helmet on her.

She looked ridiculous and it pleased him. The helmet was made of metal and was well worn, its horns and prongs and sharp angles darkened with age. It was not a helmet for a motor cycle but a helm meant for battle in a mystical world. She looked positively innocent in it. She looked perplexed and asked him how she looked. He responded as best he could.

"Positively swallowed. It's huge on you." He said with a chuckle.

She grimaced. She clearly had no desire to be a joke. Her hands went up to feel the helmet. She gasped. She asked about the strange shape and he gazed at her with heated eyes that made her shiver. He quite liked her curiosity. He looked down at her and let his finger catch the tip of a curl. He eyed the rosy coloring and the relished the silken strands.

"You wouldn't believe me."

"I would too!" She replied vehemently.

"When we get to the club I shall tell you."

He dropped her hair and swung his leg over the bike and waited for her to do the same. He felt her legs settle on either side of his body, a soft heat radiating from her. Her arms wrapped around him so loosely that she wasn't really holding on. He was glad she couldn't see him because he was biting back a laugh. He looked over his shoulder.

"You'll want to get a better grip, my dear."

"I'm sure this will be fine."

He shook his head and the black beast roared to life under them. He had always delighted in the freedom of a motorcycle. There was a charming vibration under him and the ability to move as though he was on the back of the wind that made him feel took off quickly and he heard a squeak behind him. Persephone's arms tightened around him quickly. Her body was pressed against his as he sped through the streets. The lights on the other vehicles seemed to blur together. He felt her relax and knew that she had begun to enjoy herself. It was impossible not to.

When he pulled up in front of Styx he thought he hear her sigh dejectedly. She remained on the bike for a moment. He removed the helmet and slipped it onto a handle bar. He laughed at her hair. It looked all too tangible. He wanted to grab handfuls of it as he buried his face in her neck. Her cheeks were a bit flushed. She looked lovely. He offered her a hand and she swung off his beast. She reminded him of his promise to tell her of the strange helmet shape with a devious smile that made him amorous.

"Very well," He took her arm in his and led her toward the dark door of his club as he spoke, "I was in a motorcycle gang and as the leader I was appointed the Helm of Darkness."

He expected her to be shocked but she laughed, quite enthusiastically.

"What?"

"It just suits you... the Helm of Darkness and a motorcycle gang." She said with a smile looking up at him.

_Stranger though you grow, my dear, you interest me so._

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YEAHHHH Chapter 1! Tell me what you think! Chapter 2 will be up soon


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